Special Olympics Colorado and the Boulder Police Department will host the 2013 Boulder Polar Plunge on Saturday at the Boulder Reservoir.

This is the third year that Boulder police have hosted the event with Special Olympics Colorado and the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and the fourth year that the plunge -- not to be confused with the longer-running New Year's Day event -- has been at the Boulder Reservoir.

"Boulder is a community that gets behind community programs, so (the city) really supported us," said Amy Turner, Special Olympics Colorado's vice president of marketing.

Turner also noted the active lifestyles of many Boulder residents add to the city's support of the event.

Participants will take the plunge starting at 1 p.m. Boulder police Sgt. Dave Seper will start the event by carrying in the symbolic Torch of Hope with a selected Special Olympics athlete for the first plunge. Teams will then take plunges in waves, some with practiced routines for their plunges, while others simply run into and out of the water.

According to the National Weather Service, there is a 40 percent chance of snow after 11 a.m. Saturday. Despite the predicted freezing conditions, many participants are expected to dunk their heads.

"People are stepping up and stepping into the icy waters for our courageous Special Olympics athletes," said Seper, former state director of Special Olympics partner Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Teams from around the community registered to take the plunge come from many regional groups, including the Boulder Police Department -- the Boulder Copsicles -- other local law enforcement groups, Niwot High School, the Rotary Club and several University of Colorado groups, such as the Greek system, the Athletic Department and numerous clubs.

Individuals who don't want to run into freezing waters but want to raise money can still participate. "The Chicken Coop" is a designated area on the beach for registered participants who are too scared to jump in who want to cheer on other plungers.

DJs from 104.3 The Fan will entertain the family-friendly "PlungeFest" during the affair. PlungeFest will have a "beach party atmosphere," according to Turner. Participants and spectators are encouraged to dress up to compete in the costume contest. Special Olympics Colorado will host an after-party at Absinthe House, 1109 Walnut St., starting soon after the first wave of plungers, with a DJ, free food and a cash bar.

Online registration at SpecialOlympicsCO.org ends at noon Friday. Dick's Sporting Goods will give participants who register online $30 gift cards for every $250 raised. Check-in and day-of registration begins at 11 a.m. Saturday and ends at 12:45 p.m. The first 100 Plungers to check in will receive a free pair of Crocs.

The minimum amount for registration is $50 for students and $85 for community members. Plungers can continue to raise funds beyond the minimum through the end of March. Special Olympics Colorado already has raised $44,000 for the event as of Thursday through online registration, and organizers hope that number continues to rise.

"We have more to go. We still need to raise more money," Turner said.

The 2012 Polar Plunge raised more than $51,000.

As of Thursday afternoon, 403 plungers were registered, 98 more than the total for 2012's Boulder Polar Plunge.